C Dawgs Hollands

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If you want a house-bunny and don't want a cage, great. Of course I have to advise that some bunnies are wire chewers, so be careful! But if you still need to have something for when you are at work or if the house-bunny just isn't an option for you, then here are some guidelines to help. First, please make it as big as possible. For a Holland Lop, the minimum size requirement you should be looking at is 40 inches long for the plastic bottomed cages you will find online or at the store. If you are using a metal cage with a pull out bottom, 2feet by 3 foot is a recommended size. And you will need to have either cage floor coverings, grass matts, and/or litter pans so bunny isn't on the wire all the time. Personally, the best option I have seen to give bun the most space but also keep things tidy is a part open cage and part playpen "fence". Picture a kids playpen placed on the outside of a cage with the cage door open. You can find both on craigslist pretty cheap!

Litter Pan

Almost all of our Hollands are litter box trained. The only ones that aren't have come from different facilities, but for the most part, they are really easily trained! We use just a cheap $2 rectangular cat litter box from Petco or Walmart. Here's a gross fact as a good reason to keep your bunz litter box trained: in order to aid in proper digestion, rabbits need to eat a certain type of poop they produce. So if you only have wire bottom, your bunny can't access his midnight snack!

Toys

Time to get creative! There are plenty of store bought options, personally we recommend all wood/ sisal bird toys, but there are many cheap options to keeping your bunny entertained. We buy bamboo matts in the kitchen department at Walmart. Paper towel tubes with hay stuffed in them are great for toss around toys. Same with baby toy keys and wooden blocks. Or the soft plastic balls for the ball pitts. The trick is to keep things new, so try a rotation of toys every week.

PELLETS

So mom has had bunz her entire life. She also used to work for an exotic specialist veterinarian many years ago and still follows the guidelines that were recommended as best she can. Everyone has differing opinions on what pellets to use or has had experience with them. Or they use a certain brand because they have better litters/their rabbits fur quality is better on a certain feed. Since we supplement with hay and veggies, we just don't see the pellets having that much of an effect on our bunz. We just use Purina Rabbit Chow. That's it. Show bag in blue if it's in, green bag called Complete if not. If you don't have a lot of bunz, and want to just buy small bags of feed at the local Petco, they do carry Purina rabbit (Petsmart does not carry it around here). It will look different and may have added dried fruit, but as long as there aren't seeds, corn, or junk in it, it will be fine. Please do not go for the brands that put all that extra junk in it. Pellets should be available at all times and unless you are a breeeder-there is no reason to ration. Did you know that rabbits are called hind-gut fermenters? That means their digestive system is always moving and if there isn't food available to help aid the digestion process, the bunz system will eventually shut down over time. So if you have a bun that needs surgery, and the vet/receptionist tells you not to give any food/water overnight for surgery in the morning, cancel your appointment!!! They do not know enough about bunz to be doing anything with them!

Hay

Hay should always be available to your bun. It has the best qualities to keep bunz teeth correctly filed down. Did you know that a bunz teeth never stop growing? Yup, they have to have the proper foods to keep them in line. So, hay is the best way! Since your pellets will most likely be alfalfa based, Timothy Hay is what you should use. Others are fine too, but this is the recommendation for daily use. Be careful with other types as some tend to be extra rough/prickly and can actually cut the inside of their mouth

Vegetables

Here is a list of what CDawgs Hollands gets a couple of times a week:

Chards, Mustards, Collards, Kale, Spinach, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Yellow Squash, Sweet Potato, Zucchini, Carrots, Peas, Fresh or Frozen and then thawed. Also, a bag of Normandy blend from Walmart is a great time saver! Now for how much to give. The exotic specialist actually recommends -get ready for this- 90% veggies and hay and only 10% pellets! We simply can't do it, but more power to ya if you can!!!

Treats:

I see all the crazy, fun looking treats out at the pet stores and just sigh. Really, there is no need to waste your money on them unless you just have fun giving them. With the exception on yogurt drops-I'll go for those. But honestly, an apple slice is a much better option and a healthy one too! Or blueberries or almost any fruit! Have fun giving fruit as a treat, and remember what the name implies-don't overdo causing diarrhea.

Supplements:

No salt wheels. With proper diet, these are just not necessary these days. There is one supplement all bunnies should have in their diets and that is papaya. This can be just like you take in the chew able pill form or fresh, but they should get it a couple of times a week to prevent hair balls (YES! Bunnies get hairballs even though they don't hack them up!).

Food

This page will offer what CDawgs Hollands particularly uses for food, treats, caging, and accessories for the cage along with veterinarian recommendations. There are many other opinions out there, and we respect almost all of them. There are plenty of ways to get the same job done, right? Just letting you know what we do so your bunz transition will be smooth!

Tips for finding a proper bunny vet

Don't just ask if they will see your bunny; do ask if they have bunny experience and how much.

Check around. Look online for any support groups/Facebook groups that you can ask for personal recommendations of anyone that has actually seen this particular vet.

If at any time, the vet attempts to prescribe penicillin in a liquid or pill form (shots are fine), then you know it's time to leave. These will kill your bunny.

If you have to go in for a surgery and are told to withhold food/water overnight, don't go back. Bunz are hind-gut fermenters and should never, ever, ever be without food! Plus, they aren't capable of throwing up, so there's no reason to follow this anyways!

Dr. Melanie Marsden

Pikes Peak Veterinary Clinic

1813 N Union Blvd # 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80909(719) 475-1747

Dr. Lena Roeder

Dublin Animal Hospital

888 Dublin Blvd.

Colorado Springs, CO 80918

719-593-1336

*I personally know Dr. Roeder, but I know she only hires the best for her clinic doctors. So if the receptionist says another exotic specialist can see you, I would trust it if you can't get in with Dr. Roeder quickly.

Contact CDawgs Hollands at CDawgsHollands@gmail.com or text us at 719-661-4011. This site is owned and operated by CDawgs Hollands, no copying of anything on the site without written permission first.